Category: Press Releases

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 9 December 2022.

Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak met with representatives of the Catholic mass media.

The event was attended by: journalist of the National Catholic Reporter Christopher White (the United States), special journalist of La Croix in Vatican Loup Besmond de Senneville (France), journalist of ACI Stampa/EWTN Andrea Gagliarducci (Italy), representative of ANSA press agency Manuela Tulli (Italy), photo-journalist Marcin Mazur (the United Kingdom) and journalist of the official Media of Vatican VaticanNews Salvatore Cernuzio.

At the meeting, the head of the Office of the President answered questions concerning relations between Ukraine and the Vatican, and talked about the contribution that Pope Francis can make to end the unjust war started by Russia.

Yermak called strong the Pope’s recent statements about the Ukrainian people as a martyr nation suffering from the brutality of the invading troops. The pontiff also directly stated that the attacker is the Russian state.

“Pope Francis has such a powerful weapon as the faith of the laity and the word of God, and our country needs it very much. We hope he will support Ukraine on the way to a just peace,” the head of the President’s Office said.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 8 December 2022.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy topped the list of the 28 most influential people in Europe compiled by Politico every year.

The article dedicated to the Ukrainian President emphasizes that today Europe not only trusts Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but also admires him and follows his example.

“What Zelenskyy has done is convince the rest of Europe that its future is tied to Ukraine’s — a notion few believed before Russia’s invasion in February. His communication skills have been key. His rhetoric lays out in stark terms the malevolence of the Russian regime he is fighting against, dispelling much of Europe’s faith — particularly in Berlin and Paris — that Moscow can be a partner,” Politico noted.

In addition, it is noted that the President of Ukraine skillfully uses social and traditional media, in particular mass media, and Western cultural institutions to convince the leaders of Western countries and the public that his struggle is also their struggle.

“That gives him the authority to make Europe do what he wants. If he wants weapons, he gets them, even if it means reversing Germany’s long-standing policy not to sell them. If he wants sanctions, he gets them,” the article reads.

It is emphasized that thanks to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine has made significant progress on the way to membership in the European Union.

In a video speech at the Politico 28 list announcement ceremony, the President of Ukraine expressed gratitude and emphasized that all Ukrainians received this award.

“Leaders can be truly influential only when they represent not only themselves, but the common will, common dream, common goal of their people. This is how we live in Ukraine. We are as united as possible – and that is why we are that strong. We are focused on protecting our independence – and that is why we are achieving our goals,” the Head of State said.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that today, in difficult battles, at the cost of many lives, Ukrainians are fighting for freedom for everyone in Europe.

“It is an honor for me to represent all these people. All Ukrainians. And guide our common will for our common dream. For the sake of a common goal… For the sake of Ukraine’s victory in this war. For the sake of rebuilding Ukraine. For the full accession of Ukraine to the community of European nations – to our European Union,” the President emphasized.

“I believe that Ukrainians will be the most influential next year as well. But – already in peacetime,” the Head of State added.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 3 December 2022.

The first ship within the Ukrainian humanitarian program “Grain from Ukraine” arrived at the Port of Doraleh on December 3, delivering 25 thousand tons of Ukrainian wheat for Ethiopia.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the “Grain from Ukraine” humanitarian program on November 15, during the G20 summit.

On November 26, the initiative of the Head of State aimed at providing food aid to countries in Africa and Asia suffering from famine was officially launched at the founding International Summit on Food Security, within which more than 30 countries and international organizations joined the program.

A week has passed, and the program is already being implemented in practice.

In general, as part of the “Grain from Ukraine” humanitarian initiative, our state plans to send more than 60 ships to Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, Congo, Kenya, Yemen, etc.

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Great Britain, Greece, Estonia, EU, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Canada, Qatar, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Germany, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, USA, Türkiye, Hungary, Finland, France, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Sweden, NATO and the UN, other partners supported the Ukrainian program.

More than 180 million US dollars were allocated for its implementation.

The second ship, whose loading is being completed in the Ukrainian port of Chornomorsk, will head to Ethiopia next week with 30,000 tons of wheat on board.

The third ship in the framework of the initiative of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “Grain from Ukraine” will deliver 25 thousand tons of humanitarian wheat to Somalia (loading in Odesa port).

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 1 December 2022.

During a visit to Great Britain, First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska met with King Charles III.

Together they visited the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in London, on the territory of which the Ukrainian Welcome Centre has been operating since August 2022 – a center of assistance to Ukrainian citizens who temporarily left their homeland due to Russian aggression, founded together with the Union of Ukrainians.

“It is not the first time that His Majesty finds time and kind words to support the forced migrants from Ukraine: recently he visited them in Scotland, even earlier – in Romania. During each meeting, I feel how British support is getting stronger, and together with it, the friendship between our countries,” the President’s wife said.

At the Ukrainian Welcome Centre, Olena Zelenska and Charles III talked with representatives of the Ukrainian community and temporary migrants, as well as with British families who have hosted Ukrainians. The First Lady emphasized that during all trips she meets compatriots who were forced to leave their homeland due to military aggression, learns about the conditions of their stay and the needs they have in a new country.

“Since Russia switched to energy terror tactics, we understand that this winter will be the hardest in all the years of independence. So I am grateful for the fact that at least part of Ukrainians, especially the elderly and children, are able to wait out the cold season without risking being in blackout conditions,” she said.

Olena Zelenska also visited the London School of Economics and met with students of several local universities – young people from Great Britain, France, other countries, as well as Ukrainian students who are pursuing higher education in London.

During the meeting, she spoke about Ukraine’s struggle against Russian invaders and the ordeals that its citizens are going through. She emphasized that Ukrainian students now have to fight for the right to knowledge every day, study in bomb shelters and in conditions of power outages due to Russian shelling of critical infrastructure.

“Our life in five, ten, twenty years depends on the Ukrainian, British and global youth. It will determine which way our countries will go, whether there will be peace or chaos around. Whether they will violate human rights, as Russia is doing now, or, on the contrary, will it be possible to put any aggressor in its place. We in Ukraine know how difficult it is to live in a history textbook. And at the same time, it is an opportunity to inscribe humanity, support and value of human life there,” the First Lady emphasized during her speech.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 29 November 2022.

As part of her visit to Great Britain, First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska spoke before the Parliament of the United Kingdom. In her speech, the President’s wife compared the bombing of Ukraine by the Russian aggressor to the bombing of Great Britain by the Nazis during World War II.

“You didn’t give up. We will not give up. But we need more than just victory. We need justice. I came to you precisely for this – for justice, with which this war should end just as that war ended. It was impossible to imagine that after all the crimes of the Nazis they would be left unpunished. We can’t imagine it either. In the same way, we strive for justice for our people, against whom Russian missile raids are targeted,” the First Lady said.

During her speech, Olena Zelenska showed footage of Ukrainian cities during blackout as a result of Russian shelling and photos of people who are forced to look for electricity and heat. In particular, she showed a photo of a girl whose parents brought her to a gas station in Kyiv to be able to turn on her inhaler.

Separately, the President’s wife focused on the facts of numerous rapes of Ukrainians by the Russian invaders. This topic was the focus of her speech yesterday at the PSVI Conference on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict.

“Everywhere in the liberated cities and communities, after the retreat of the Russian army, torture chambers arranged by the occupiers are found. Thousands of their crimes have been documented, including crimes of sexual violence. We know that the youngest girl who was raped by the Russian occupiers is four years old. The oldest victim is 85 years old. These are established victims. And how many of those we don’t know about yet?” added Olena Zelenska.

The First Lady called on the British parliament and the government to lead a global effort to establish a Special Tribunal for the crime of Russian aggression against Ukraine. In particular, to promote the adoption of the resolution of the UN General Assembly prepared by Ukraine on the creation of a Special Tribunal for the crime of aggression of the Russian Federation against our country – by analogy with the Declaration of St James’s Palace of the Second World War, when a document was signed on January 13, 1942, which recorded the will to prosecute all those guilty of war crimes, crimes against humanity and crimes against peace. The Nuremberg trials were subsequently held on this basis.

“Today I am asking you to become a world leader of justice. For Ukraine, but also for the world! Because justice is needed not only by us and all our victims. It is needed so that the world continues to live according to the values of humanism, not the right of the strong, as the invader would like. Justice is needed for the whole world to survive,” the President’s wife emphasized.

After the speech, the First Lady held a meeting with Speaker of the House of Commons of the British Parliament Lindsay Hoyle, during which she thanked for the invitation and assured that Ukraine highly appreciates both the personal position of the Speaker of the House of Commons, who strongly condemns Russian aggression, and the constant strong support from British MPs.

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 28 November 2022.

Head of the President’s Office Andriy Yermak emphasizes that it is the special international tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine, the creation of which our state is calling for, that will make it possible to restore justice and punish all those guilty of the terrible crimes caused by the largest war in Europe since World War II.

He stated this during an online speech at the conference “Possible Scenarios for the Prosecution of Russia for the Crime of Aggression”, which takes place in Paris with the participation of members of the working group on the creation of a special international tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine.

Andriy Yermak noted that, according to official data of the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, during Russia’s full-scale war against our country, more than 47,900 war crimes were committed and more than 8,400 civilians died, including 440 children. 46,000 houses and tens of thousands of civil infrastructure objects were destroyed. Among other things, 1,400 institutions for children were destroyed. 11,400 young Ukrainians were forcibly taken out of the country.

“The atrocities we are facing are shocking. When our law enforcement agencies conducted an exhumation in Izyum, they found a minor girl who was first raped and then brutally killed. They found a boy whose genitals were cut off before execution. We discover such terrible things every time we liberate a new settlement,” said the Head of the Office of the President.

Andriy Yermak emphasized that behind all crimes there is one biggest crime – the so-called mother crime of aggression, without the investigation of which and the punishment of the guilty the truth will never be achieved.

“There is no doubt that Russia bears full responsibility for what was committed. Russian soldiers and their commanders who committed war crimes will be brought to justice. However, this is not enough. Russian officials must be brought to criminal responsibility for the crime of aggression,” he is convinced.

For his part, Deputy Head of the Office of the President Andriy Smyrnov said that after analyzing all available international mechanisms, it became clear that there was a high risk that no one would be prosecuted for the crime of aggression unless a special international tribunal was created, which would only investigate the crime of aggression against of Ukraine.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, which investigates the crimes of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, does not have sufficient jurisdictional powers.

“During the eight months of the war in Ukraine, not a single proceeding related to the crime of aggression was registered at the ICC due to objective reasons,” he noted.

For the purposes of the special international tribunal, the system of punishments used in the International Criminal Court may be used. The punishment for the crime of aggression against Ukraine, after it has been proven, may include imprisonment for a term of up to 30 years or life imprisonment.

As noted by Andriy Yermak, a special international tribunal can be created by signing an agreement between states willing to join it or based on Ukraine’s agreement with an international organization.

The Head of the President’s Office reminded that the creation of a special international tribunal was supported by the European Parliament, the Parliamentary Assemblies of the Council of Europe, the OSCE and NATO, the parliaments of Ukraine, Lithuania, Estonia, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands, but in the end, the decision of a significant number of countries that would like to join the creation of such a tribunal is needed.

“This is an issue for the whole world. If we do not follow these principles, are we prepared for the fact that one day some dictator will announce his territorial claims to some country? Are we ready for new hybrid wars waged by rulers detached from reality? Will you agree to international blackmail and terror, to the truth distorted by propaganda? Are you ready to accept the death of tens of thousands of innocent people, including many women and children? If not, support the creation of our tribunal! Everyone to the extent that depends on you,” Andriy Yermak urged.